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Date Posted: Tue, May 10 2005, 8:39:56
Author: Jeff Northridge
Author Host/IP: 4.246.90.159
Subject: Re: scarey
In reply to: ashley 's message, "scarey" on Mon, May 09 2005, 11:47:20

Howdy Ashley;

Yes, war is scarey and Larry provided an excellent reply above. However, I would like to add some points from my perspective. First, being in a situation where a significant percentage of the population of Vietnam was deliberately trying to kill as many GIs as possible was definitely unpleasant. This was aggravated by the fact that the U.S. Government and the General Staff consistantly underestimated the capabilities and dedication of the VC and NVA until after the Tet Offensive of 1968.

Second, in a firefight, there is no time to be scared; there is too much to do and not enough time in which to do it. Everybody simply falls back on their instincts, training, and previous experience. It's in between firefights when one can afford the luxury of being afraid, but as Larry pointed out, these feelings are usually surpressed because your buddies depend on you (and you upon them).

Third, after about 6 or 7 months in combat, one wakes up one morning and realizes that of all the guys who were there when you first arrived in-company, only a handful remain. Of the rest, 10% were KIA, 50% were WIA badly enough to be shipped home, 30% rotated out normally, and of the remaining 10%, everybody (including yourself) has at least one Purple Heart. That's when you start to lose your nerve and become cautious--even overly cautious. It's like playing Russian roulette over and over again; enventually, your number is going to come up. All one can do is hope and pray that it doesn't come up within the next 5 months.

Lastly, although it's theoretically true that GIs are fighting for their country, in the immediate situation, they are fighting for themselves and the guys in their outfit who are wearing the same uniform that they are.

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  • Re: scarey -- Wayne Gregory, Sat, May 14 2005, 2:10:07
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